Page 164 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL FALL 2024 SPAIN

Built by Buffalo Bill

STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIBETH MELLIN CODY, WYOMING LIVES UP TO ITS FOUNDER’S LOVE FOR THE WILD WEST
“I am fortunate to know the West as few
people—dead or alive—have known it: Its
strong characters, its colorful history, and
its vast landscapes will never be blotted
from my mind.” ~ From An Autobiography of
Buffalo Bill

M y eyes were happy in Cody, Wyoming. Snow-
capped mountains, forests, waterfalls, and end-
less untrammeled spaces offered respite from
my everyday landscapes. Rugged red rock for-
mations resembling Bart Simpson and mountains folded in
sideways waves replaced roadside billboards. On Sheridan
Avenue, the wide main street through the town of 10,000
permanent residents, families shared ice cream treats at a
row of street-side chairs outside the Big Chill. Other folks
gathered at modern-day saloons in historic hotels to sip
local brews (among the best in the nation) and enjoy their
neighbor’s musical talents. A polished stagecoach ferried
visitors around town.
It was the perfect for a short travel-writer’s conference
among friends. Travel writers are a gregarious group for
the most part and foster relationships all over the world.
This meeting was loaded with people I rarely see and thor-
oughly enjoy. We all had a grand time and learned more
about our industry. Check out my friend Alison DaRosa’s
tales of her Cody adventures in this issue.

164 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2024